Events Preview: KC Women in Technology, BetaBlox demo day
September 18, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you.
Are you hosting a relevant community event? Add it to the KCSourceLink Calendar for increased exposure. Email info@kcsourcelink.com for assistance.
2017 KCALSI Annual Dinner
When: Sept. 19, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
The 2017 Annual Dinner will be held on September 19, 2017 at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City, MO. The annual Science to Art silent auction will again be featured during this dinner. All proceeds from this auction will benefit STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art, math) in the KC region.
Our keynote speaker Nina Tandon, PhD, is the CEO and co-founder of EpiBone, the world’s first company growing living human bones for skeletal reconstruction. She is the co-author of Super Cells: Building with Biology, a book that explores the new frontier of biotech. She is a TED Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Cooper Union. Her PhD research focused on studying electrical signaling in the context of tissue engineering, and has worked with cardiac, skin, bone, and neural tissue.
The Marketing Series Workshops: SEO with Brandon Kenig
When: Sept. 20, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
The Marketing Series takes an in-depth look at the science and analytics behind marketing campaigns–from the basics of growth hacking to ins-and-outs of content marketing.
September TechTalk: KCWiT X UXPA Joint Meetup
When: Sept. 20, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
For Networking
You’re not alone.
There just aren’t enough women in technology, and being the only one can get lonely. Break out of your silo and meet women who do what you do. Share stories, exchange advice, talk tech, and be yourself. You can come to network, to cowork, or just to chat.
For growth
Learn from the best
TechTalks were created to be not only a networking event, but an opportunity for continuous learning for skills that must constantly evolve to keep up with the market. These talks will cover a wide variety of topics including:
- How to be effective in different technology roles
- Value assessment and determining appropriate compensation
- APIs
- Resumes and Interviews
- Careers: How to Have It All
- Technical sessions for javascript, .NET, java, and more
Personalized Learning and Tools to Get You There
When: Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Think Big
Join us to talk about tailoring experiences for all students, designing your own learning solutions, and all the tools to get you there. We have a great crew of speakers lined up who are leading the charge on a national level: 4.0 Schools will be joining us from New Orleans, while edtech pioneers Discovery Education and Pear Deck will be demo-ing their tech tools!
5:30-6:00: Sign-in, food/drink, networking
6:00-6:15: Introductions and announcements
6:15-7:00: Unconference
7:00-7:30: Closing comments, continued networking
You can join #KCedu and the Lean Lab every Third Thursday to network with genius educators, business partners, and other interested folks as you eat and drink, learn and collide!
KU Big Data Workshop
When: Sept. 22, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: KU Edwards Campus
In response to the Kansas City workforce’s development needs, more Big Data programming from KU is coming to the metro area. In September and October 2017, KUPCE is offering the third three-part Big Data for Managers and Decision Makers workshop, designed for mid-level managers with little-to-no data science expertise.
You’ll learn the basics of Big Data in order to make key organizational decisions, assess whether you need a data management team—and, if you do, how get the most out of it—and much more.
Day One—Friday, September 22
Presenter: Raj Nair
Data-Driven Decisions
- Internal Value Chain: understanding the data you might already have.
- Data Primer + Vision: opportunities of a more complete cross-organizational data set.
- More “Open” Data: a tool to drive internal innovation.
- Breaking down silos and bringing together entities.
Big Data Technological Landscape
- Understanding key technical concepts of Big Data and what makes it different.
- Big Data jargon and terminology.
- Current trends in commercialization of Big Data.
- Ecosystem Essentials: deciphering technologies and vendors, value of distributed computing paradigms, technology stacks, and selecting the right technology.
- Transactional versus analytical systems and their trade-offs.
BetaBlox Demo Day
When: Sept. 23, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Where: The GRID
Are you looking to keep your finger on the pulse of the entrepreneurial atmosphere of Kansas City? Are you looking to connect with other like-minded business people from around the community? Are you looking to watch educational panels about life as a startup in KC, keynote speeches, and live formal pitches to investors alongside hundreds of other local supporters? Look no farther…
The BetaBlox Demo Day is your opportunity to network with a sea of entrepreneurs, startups, investors, bankers, government officials, service providers, and other professional stakeholders from around Kansas City. Every year upwards of a thousand people RSVP to watch the event, and you should too.
Ongoing events
Don’t miss out on the events that happen every week at the same time, in the same place.
Code for KC Hack Night
Mondays from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Hammerspace Open House
Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Hammerspace
1 Million Cups
Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Kauffman Foundation, Lawrence and KC Live Stream
Coworking Wednesdays
Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Looking ahead
The Founder Series: Lean Growth
When: Sept. 27, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Village Square Coworking
The Founder Series addresses legal and operational issues commonly faced by startup founders, from the process of finding and working with co-founders to strategies to protect your intellectual property.
This ECJC workshop series is presented in partnership with Village Square, Located in the heart of the Kansas City Startup Village, Village Square is a coworking space that offers entrepreneurs and startups a place to call home.
How to Pitch to the Sandbox
When: Sept. 27, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: UMKC Innovation Center
Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox KC, will walk you through the process of applying for and pitching to the Sandbox decision makers. After this session, you’ll know how to make the most effective presentation for funding support from Digital Sandbox KC and increase your chance for funding approval.
Admission is FREE but registration is required.
The R&D Tax Credit – A First Time Opportunity for Early Stage Companies
When: Sept. 28, 11:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Enterprise Center in Johnson County

2017 Startups to Watch
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